From ‘Phantom’ to ‘Harry Potter,’ KC’s Broadway slate is loaded for 2026-27
The PNC Broadway in Kansas City series will start with a bang in 2026-27 — and keep making noise the rest of the season.
“There are just a lot of jaw-droppers in this season,” said Amy Hamm, president and executive director of the American Theatre Guild.
The schedule will open with a two-week run of “Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history. Five of the ensuing seven shows will make their Kansas City premieres, and yet another (“The Bodyguard”) will be part of the Broadway in Kansas City series for the first time.
Four of the productions are still playing on Broadway.
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom,” on the other hand, ran on Broadway for 35 years before closing in April 2023. It hasn’t toured since 2020, and this will be a new version of the original production.
“It’s all of the original scenic design, original costume design, original choreography,” Hamm said. “The costumes have all been refreshed. New, beautiful, but still in that vision of the original costume design.”
Other 2026-27 highlights will include “The Outsiders,” which Hamm called “the hottest show to come out of New York in a really long time,” and “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” which was nominated for a Tony Award for best choreography even though it’s not a musical. Both are still on Broadway and will be making their Kansas City premieres.
Hamm praised the magic in the “Harry Potter” sequel.
“It really is spellbinding and awe-inspiring the way they pull this off right in front of your face,” she said.
Several other shows also offer intriguing elements:
- “Boop,” based on the 1930s cartoon character Betty Boop, incorporates black-and-white set design when the action is set in the cartoon world.
- “Water for Elephants” includes puppets and circus acrobatics.
- “Buena Vista Social Club” features a live band on stage and a design that makes the audience “feel like you have stepped into Cuba,” Hamm said.
“Six” premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, where it was performed by Cambridge University students, and has since become a pop sensation on Broadway.
“It’s one of my all-time favorites,” Hamm said. “… I think it’s one of most fun shows we’ve seen come out of Broadway in decades.”
“The Bodyguard,” which came to Starlight in 2017, never played on Broadway but has been a huge hit as a touring production.
“It just seems really perfect for where we are now, with nostalgia being so in and a lot of these songs being so iconic,” Hamm said.
PNC Broadway in Kansas City 2026-27
“The Phantom of the Opera,” Dec. 2-13, Music Hall: The classic musical has played here six times as part of the Broadway in Kansas City series, but not since 2017. It has attracted more than 160 million people in 47 territories and 195 cities, and it has been performed in 21 languages.
“The Bodyguard,” Jan. 5-10, 2027, Kauffman Center: Based on the 1992 movie starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, it features the classics “I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “Saving All My Love for You.”
“Six,” Jan. 26-31, 2027, Music Hall: This show reimagines Henry VIII’s six wives as modern-day pop stars. It won the 2022 Tony Award for best original score and is still running on Broadway.
“The Outsiders,” Feb. 16-21, 2027, Music Hall: Winner of the 2024 Tony for best musical and still going strong, “The Outsiders” was adapted from S.E. Hinton’s novel and Francis Ford Coppola’s 1983 film about a gang of Greasers in 1967 Tulsa.
“Boop! The Musical,” March 2-7, 2027, Kauffman Center: The cartoon character from nearly 100 years ago dreams of a day off from being a celebrity in this show that ran briefly on Broadway in 2025.
“Water for Elephants,” March 30-April 4, 2027, Kauffman Center: A young man finds romance with a traveling circus in this musical drawn from a 2006 novel and the 2011 movie. It ran on Broadway in 2024.
“Buena Vista Social Club,” May 11-16, 2027, Music Hall: Having opened on Broadway in March 2025, this show won five Tonys, including for best musical, and is still running. It was inspired by actual events in Havana, Cuba, that were featured in a 1999 documentary.
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” July 13-18, 2027, Music Hall: This is the eighth story of the “Harry Potter” series, in which Harry and his friends are grown up and their children attending Hogwarts. The only nonmusical of the PNC Broadway season, it opened on Broadway in 2018, when it won six Tonys.
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How can you get Broadway tickets in KC?
PNC Broadway in Kansas City season members will have their seats automatically renewed for 2026-27. Nonmembers can join a waitlist for a priority place in line to purchase a membership later this spring. For more information, visit broadwayinkc.com.
